Basic Sausage-Making

• Sausage-making is fundamentally a relatively simple process. Meat and fat must be ground together in carefully judged proportions -- traditionally as much as 50 percent fat by weight, though 30 percent is more common in modern recipes -- and then combined with a variety of seasonings. Casings for the sausage can be made of natural animal intestines, plastics or extruded collagen. Both collagen and natural casings are edible, while plastic casings are intended to be removed before eating. The mixture is then forced into a casing, using some form of manual or power-operated press.

That Ounce of Prevention

• The most important step in keeping bubbles out of your sausages is simply not putting them in. Be sure to pack the cylinder of your sausage stuffer as tightly as possible, squeezing out as much air as possible. Vertical sausage stuffers typically have an air valve, which lets air escape as you work the crank and compress the meat. Horizontal stuffers, and the small stuffer attachments for stand mixers, don't offer that convenience. Use the pusher provided with your sausage stuffer to force the meat together tightly. It's helpful to have a helper do this, so you can concentrate on managing the sausage as it emerges.

Careful Filling

• Start by sliding the greatest amount of casing you can manage onto the fill tube of your sausage stuffer. Moisten the tube with water first to help the casings slide freely, and moisten your work surface as well so the filled sausage won't stick. Hold the casing lightly in place with your thumb and forefinger, because it'll want to slide off as soon as the sausage meat starts to emerge from the stuffer. You'll need to exert just enough force to ensure that the casing is filled completely before letting it slide ahead. It takes a bit of trial and error to get it right, but that's fine. That first sloppy sausage can be cut open and returned to the stuffer for re-use.

After the Fact

• Despite your best efforts, a few air bubbles will always make it through into your sausage. It happens even to professionals, so don't feel too badly about it, but you do need to fix the bubbles. They're undesirable for a number of reasons. For one, they make it more likely your sausage will burst its casing when you cook it. It also provides an airspace where bacteria can grow and multiply, an especially grave problem if you plan to cure and dry the sausage. The fix is simple enough. Once you've filled and tied off the sausage, check its length carefully. Whenever you find an air bubble, pierce it with a toothpick or a sterile pin to let the air out. Once you're finished, you can go on to cook, smoke or freeze the sausages.